NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS By Noah Franc


My life has gotten quite interesting since graduating college. Already the norms and habits of day-to-day college living have faded, and during the past 8 months they have been slowly replaced by early-morning alarm clocks, hopeful e-mails to potential employers, and coffee. Lots of coffee. College already feels like another world, another past part of my life. I have been very lucky in that my transition to post-college life has been fairly easy. A full-time, paid internship at my Dad’s company was almost immediately followed by a full-time, higher-paying job in a nearby town, allowing me to immediately start earning money. And now, the New Year finds me searching, once again, for a New Job, this time back in good ‘ol Germany. As I restarted my search, it struck me that a new job hunt right after the start of the new year is a perfect time to revisit that age-old (and also oft-ignored) tradition of New Year’s Resolutions.


With that, here are my New Year’s Resolutions for 2013, insofar as they pertain to my continued pursuit of a solid career path:


Keep the Resume Simple and Straightforward


As someone who has spent the past half year working in recruitment, and has had to sort through dozens and even hundreds of resumes and online profiles at a time, I know first hand how much more frustrating recruiting can be if the resumes in questions are filled with huge paragraphs for each position. Keep it simple, keep it direct, and for the love of God, keep it short.


Don’t Short Change the Cover Letter/E-mail


When in the midst of the job search, you always try to churn out as many applications to as many positions as possible. And by the time you get to your umpteenth e-mailed resume of the day, it’s tempting (especially for someone like me) to write the simplest e-mail possible and just let the resume do all the talking. While you certainly don’t want a cover message to be too long or rambling, however, it is important to try to use a cover letter to make some sort of basic statement about yourself.


Remember to Follow-up


This only helps to a certain point, as most companies will reach their decision solely based on your past experience and what they want for the job. But keeping in touch regularly (and not obsessively) could tip the scales in your favour every so often by showing your prospective employer that you are genuinely motivated and want the position.


Keep Your Chin Up


Job-hunting is rarely easy or quick. It’s usually tiresome and frustrating, and it can take ages before the right opportunity pops up (or at least FEEL like ages). At such times, it’s important to regularly remind oneself that the long waits are perfectly normal, and staying energized and motivated is just as important as the actual job applications themselves.


Happy hunting 2013!


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